


will you keep me right?

by melonpanparade



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Chapter 58, Character Study, Gen, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Morally Ambiguous Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 00:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1760745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonpanparade/pseuds/melonpanparade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>This was his first time killing, and it wouldn’t be his last. He would kill to stay alive. He would kill for those who couldn’t. He would kill for the greater good, for justice, for the sake of Humanity.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	will you keep me right?

**Author's Note:**

> This work assumes that Armin killed the girl at the end of chapter 58.

How long ago had it been since their fight was merely Humanity against titans?

Ever since Trost, things had quickly escalated and spiralled out of their control. It wasn’t predictable then; something had seemed off about their world and titans, but he hadn’t expected to be confronted with the harsh reality in such a close and personal manner. None of them had. No matter how much Armin berated himself for not noticing, when it came down to it, they were all too naïve to have predicted that, or perhaps they had purposely looked the other way.

But what had happened had happened, and he was prepared to set aside his own morals—nothing in this world was ever painted in black and white anyway. The roots of the problem went deep; far deeper than he had anticipated. It wasn’t just Humanity versus the titans anymore.

Not surprisingly, many people struggled to find their resolve once they had discovered that their enemies included fellow humans. And Jean, dear Jean, earnest Jean with his firm and upright morals, the most sheltered, yet the most human of them all—he wasn’t afraid of letting others know that he had his qualms about killing humans. In their current situation, it was a weakness, but one that he wasn’t afraid to show. Armin had never forgotten that Jean initially wanted to be part of the military police to get away. It was an understandable choice. Most people aimed for that. And those who decided to join the Survey Corps for whatever reason, well, they expected to be fighting titans, not humans. But the reality still stood—if they wanted to get out of this funk, then they had to change it first, even though that meant killing humans; even though that meant doing the dirty work. And refusing to adapt to the circumstances meant imminent death, or in Jean’s case, near-death, and only because he had intervened.

Even if this experience moulded Jean into a more callous, yet capable person, Armin trusted that Jean’s moral compass would stay strong. Sacrifices had to be made; both of them knew that. But where Armin would not hesitate, Jean was inclined to search for the way that resulted in the least number of deaths before taking action. And that crucial difference between them made Armin wonder—how much humanity did he have left? If he continued down this road, after everything was done and dusted, how much humanity would he have left?

He stared at his hands, studying the faint blue-green of his veins—proof that he was alive—and then clenched his fists tightly. This was his first time killing, and it wouldn’t be his last. He would kill to stay alive. He would kill for those who couldn’t. He would kill for the greater good, for justice, for the sake of Humanity. And through it all, he would trust that Jean would understand, that Jean would stay by his side to balance him out, and it could just be wishful thinking, but perhaps Jean would keep him right too. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr [here!](http://melonpanparade.tumblr.com/)


End file.
